Our parents always told us not to judge a book by its cover, but for most viewers this is exactly what they will do! First impressions are all important as your potential buyer pulls up outside the property so a well maintained tidy garden is always a good start and provides a neutral talking point to engage in with your viewers. Make sure the wheelie bins are tucked away out of sight. Quite often on first entering your home, viewers will quickly decide if it is the one for them. We all know when something feels right, but there is no harm at all in adding to the ambiance with the smell of fresh home baking or freshly brewed coffee permeating the air…far nicer than the lingering odour of last night’s curry. Be aware of cooking smells, perhaps lighting a candle or two. That may all sound a little clichéd, but it can make all the difference.

It is commonly thought that we will be able to make decisions for an adult family member who no longer has the capacity to look after their own affairs. This is not the case. Your spouse, partner, children or other loved ones are powerless to make any decisions on your behalf unless you have appointed them in terms of a power of attorney. Many people have heard of power of attorney but are under the impression that they can leave it until they need it, but by then it's too late! You can only appoint a person to act as your attorney if you have the capacity to make your own decisions. If you no longer have such capacity, whether as a result of a medical condition or an accident, the decision about who looks after your affairs is taken out of your hands and the Court decides what is best for you, after a lengthy process. In some cases decisions regarding you may even be taken out of the hands of your family and responsibility for looking after the welfare of a loved one is taken over by the Chief Social Worker of the local authority.

This year will mark the 10th anniversary of legislation coming into force in Scotland which has changed the legal framework for separating couples who are not married.

According to the Office for National Statistics in 2014 there were 18.6 million families in the UK. Of these, 12.5 million were married couple families. This is the most common family type in the UK. However, cohabiting couple families grew by 29.7% between 2004 and 2014. This is the fastest growing type of family in the UK. It is clear that the composition of families is changing and the law in Scotland has adapted in order to reflect that.

Being one of the oldest legal practices in the Highlands and having recently being awarded High Street Firm of the Year we feel the time is right to extend our services to the wider community by offering regular surgeries to those in the Western Isles.